How to move files AND folders using the find results panel

Help & Support
1

Say I have a quite a number of files with a specific extension.
They are in quite a large number of subfolders.
I do a find on this extension, let's say *.ai

Whilst being the find results panel I would like to ctrl-select them all and then move them to a new folder, say a subfolder named 'ai-files', BUT.. keeping the original folder-names...

So there would be something like:

[code]x:\AI-Files
\subfoldername1
file1.ai
file2.ai

            \subfoldername2\
                           file1.ai
                           file2.ai[/code]

etc.

Any suggestions ?

Right now, I see no alternative but to open a 2nd session of DO,
then go to each and every single folder containing the *.ai files,
whilst the first session shows me where they are, move the files,
and so on.

Thanks!

2

You can either use Flat View and during move choose "Recreate Folder structure". But this works only if the files are all in first subfolders from where you enable Flat View.

Or you can use the the following. This has the limitation only to work on the same drive as you cannot enter ":" in the rename pattern.

6f62ca7bfd38f06d01a8d88e2df9d922e0eb0f21.png674×550 14.9 KB

3

You can type : into the rename dialog, but only in Standard Rename mode, and only if it's after a drive letter.

So, extending on Xbprm's idea of using Flat View to select all the files and then the Rename tool, this should do what you want:

(It also only matches *.ai so you can simply select all the files, FWIW.)

99f8ab33bc8c76b9ca4d30cde114e0dcc2ae4fe2.png781×669 113 KB

4

Thank you both for your comments.

Am afraid though that I can't really follow your suggestion which is, I hurry to say this, due to lack of expertise on my side ... :frowning:

I have vainly been puzzling a bit...

Here are 'my steps'

  • select a folder
  • tools/find/ (e.g.) *.ai enter
    -from the coll://Find Results I want to ctrl-a select all files and then
    move them to a (new) folder but the files have to keep the same foldernames as where they came from.

I have been trying to find out where your suggestion 'fits' into my steps.

Maybe you wud give me another help?

Flat View: ít is set 'Off' (i never used this flat view thing...) shd it be set as mixed ??

thanks again!

5

Actually, you don't need to use Flat View; getting all the *.ai files using Find will work as well.

Use the Find Panel (Tools -> Find Panel), set the results to go to a file collection (so they should appear in the lister like a normal directory), then select-all and click the Rename button on the toolbar. (It's between the create folder and delete buttons, near the middle of the default toolbar.)

If you get a small Rename window instead of one like our two screenshots above, click the Advanced button to make it large.

Then setup the Rename window like in my screenshot. (Ignore the list of presets on the right; the important parts are the Old Name, New Name, Type and Enable File Information.)

Check that the Preview display in the Rename window shows the files will be moved/renamed the way you expect before clicking OK!

6

I am a little confused by "…keeping the original folder-names".
But if I understand it right (from the title of the thread) you need something like this:

…or this?:

7

[quote="leo"]Actually, you don't need to use Flat View; getting all the *.ai files using Find will work as well.

Use the Find Panel (Tools -> Find Panel), set the results to go to a file collection (so they should appear in the lister like a normal directory), ....
[/quote]

go to a file collection... ? :confused: eh ...

what am I doing wrong..?

==

8

That should work, but you'll find it a bit easier if you use Tools -> Find Panel (the find panel) instead of File -> Find (the old standalone Find window that IMO should be removed as it stops people finding the newer/better find panel, heh).